Agenda item

REVIEW OF SCHEME OF ALLOWANCES FOR MEMBERS - REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REMUNERATION PANEL

To consider the report and recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel and agree any changes to the current Scheme of Allowances for Members.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by the Borough Solicitor and Monitoring Officer asking the Council to consider the report and recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel and agree any changes to the current Scheme of Allowances.

 

An amendment was proposed as follows:

 

The removal of

 

Opposition Spokesperson allowances (currently only applicable to the Liberal Democrat group): £1189.20;

 

and the removal of the

 

Group Leaders’ bonus provision of an additional 10% top up to the Special Responsibility Allowance given to the Leader and the Opposition Group Leader (currently only applicable to the Liberal Democrat Group Leader) dependent on effective leadership and to be applied for: set out in paragraphs 14.2 and 17.4 of the report;

 

and the removal of

 

Any amendment which affects an allowance payable for the year in which the amendment is made shall apply with effect from 1 April of the year in which the amendment is made.

 

 

The proposed amendment was subsequently voted on and was CARRIED and became the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION

 

A subsequent AMENDMENT was proposed as follows:

 

The removal of the payment of £4756.79 to the Chairman of Standards and Governance Committee.

 

The proposed amendment was subsequently voted on and was LOST.

 

It was subsequently proposed and seconded that a separate vote be taken on clause number 4 of the recommendation.

 

This was subsequently LOST.

 

A vote was taken on the Substantive Motion and was CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the Council agrees each of the following recommendations from  the Independent Remuneration Panel as set out in their report dated January 2021:

 

In line with the current Scheme, no more than 50% of Members of Gosport Borough Council are to receive Special Responsibility allowances at any one time;

 

The Basic Allowance be paid at 6700.77 per annum which has been calculated by reference to the work involved and no provision has been included for other out of pocket expenses;

 

No Member should be entitled to receive more than one Special Responsibility Allowance;

 

Special Responsibility Allowances should be paid for the following roles and in the following amounts:

 

Leader of the Council: £14,852.53

 

Chairman of Service Boards, Regulatory Board and Standards and Governance Committee £4756.79

 

Opposition Political Group Leaders Special Responsibility Allowance be calculated in accordance with the formula set out in paragraph 36 of the Independent Remuneration Panel’s Report and paid in the following amounts:

 

Liberal Democrat Group Leader: £6108.10

Labour Group Leader: £872.59

 

Vice Chairmen of Boards do not receive a Special Responsibility Allowance;

 

Deputy Leader does not receive a Special Responsibility Allowance;

 

Travel Allowance should only be paid for travel outside of the Borough on approved duties at 40.9 pence per mile;

 

The Basic Allowance and Special Responsibility Allowance should be subject to an annual adjustment equal to percentage increase in the pay of Gosport Borough Council Staff and implemented in April each year;

 

Child Care and Dependent Carers’ Allowances should be retained and paid at the hourly rate for the National Living Wage for attendance at formally approved meetings only (not constituency work).  The number of hours to be paid per week is the lower of the total time spent at no more than 2 meetings in that week or 8 hours subject to a maximum allowance, per Councillor, of £2000 per year;

 

A Co-optees Allowance is not paid;

 

Where a Councillor is suspended or partially suspended, the Basic Allowance: Special Responsibility Allowance; and Travel Allowance payable in respect of the period of suspension or partial suspension should be withheld;

 

In accordance with the 2003 Regulations where the term of office of a Member begins or ends otherwise than at the beginning of the year, or the Member does not have any responsibilities to entitle them to a special responsibility allowance, their entitlement, or special responsibility allowance shall be to payment of such part of the basic allowance or special responsibility allowance as bears to the whole same proportion as the number of days during which their term of office as Member or the number of days during which they hold a special responsibility allowance subsists bears to the number of days in that year; and

 

That the Council agrees that the current provisions relating to payments set out in paragraph 2.3 and 2.4 of this report below continue.

 

Supporting documents: